NSA Menwith Hill

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether members of the Intelligence and Security Committee have complete access to all areas of the operations area of NSA Menwith Hill; and when (a) he and (b) any other Minister last visited NSA Menwith Hill.

Andrew Robathan: The Intelligence and Security Committee does not comment on the details of its work programme. Where appropriate it publishes information on visits it has undertaken in its Annual Reports.
	The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has not visited RAF Menwith Hill to date.
	The last ministerial visit to the Base was in August 2011 by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague).

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many crashes there have been with the Elbit Systems Hermes 450 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in (a) the UK and (b) Afghanistan;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the training provided to those who fly the Elbit Systems Hermes 450 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

Andrew Robathan: The Hermes 450 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is not flown in the UK nor have there been any crashes in the UK.
	Since 2007 there have been 11 Hermes 450 crashes in Afghanistan.
	An end-to-end review for army unmanned aerial systems training has recently been conducted which reported at the end of September 2012. As a result, several changes have already been made to unmanned aerial systems training to increase airmanship standards in a number of areas, with further improvements to follow.

Ambulance Services: East of England

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he last met the chief executive of the East of England Ambulance Service to discuss ambulance cover across the east of England region.

Anna Soubry: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has not met with the chief executive of the East of England Ambulance Service, Mr Hayden Newton, to discuss ambulance cover across the east of England.

Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to protect the Jewish community from anti-Semitic attacks; and if she will make a statement. [R]

Don Foster: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	Hate crime, including that targeting a person's religion, is an issue the Government takes very seriously. We work with the Association of Chief Police Officers and other partners to encourage the reporting of all hate crime and improve the response of the police and other criminal justice agencies to ensure better protection for victims.
	The Cross-Government Working Group on anti-Semitism and the police regularly meet representatives of the Jewish community to discuss actions to protect the Jewish community against anti-Semitic attacks. The anti-Semitism Working Group and the Cross-Government Hate Crime Strategy Board have a number of actions in train to tackle anti-Semitism, which are reassessed on a regular basis. These include funding the security needs of Jewish faith schools within the state school sector, challenging anti-Semitism in online media, improving the recording of all hate crime, including anti-Semitic hate crimes, and improving the training of hate crime prosecutors.

Railways: Franchises

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his officials or consultants have provided him with any estimate of the cost to the taxpayer of delaying the (a) East Coast, (b) Great Western, (c) Essex Thameside and (d) Thameslink franchises.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), has not been provided with an estimate of the cost to the taxpayer of delaying the East Coast, Great Western, Essex Thameside and Thameslink franchises. Future arrangements for these franchises will be made once the outcome of the two independent reviews, being undertaken by Sam Laidlaw and Richard Brown, are known.

Personal Savings: Older People

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to encourage cash savings amongst over 50 year olds.

Sajid Javid: The Government's savings strategy is based on the principles of freedom, fairness and responsibility, and aims to meet the needs of consumers while remaining effective and affordable.
	The Government has taken steps to support and encourage savers of all ages. These include:
	1. Providing extensive tax relief on saving in ISAs, worth around £2 billion in 2011-12. ISAs are a popular savings product, held by almost 24 million people. To ensure the amount that people can save annually tax-free is not eroded by inflation, the Government indexed the amount that can be paid into ISAs each year.
	Transparency and competition in the ISA market has also improved. Financial Services Authority (FSA) guidance now states that providers should include interest rates on savings account statements, and provide notice to consumers when an introductory or promotional rate of interest ends, or if there is a material change in the interest rate that will disadvantage the consumer. Following an Office of Fair Trading (OFT) review into cash ISA transfer times, the cash ISA industry has amended its guidelines to reduce the maximum transfer time from 23 to 15 working days, and this has been reinforced by similar changes to the ISA regulations.
	2. Simple financial products will enable people to take responsibility for their finances and make better choices by helping them compare products and understand product features. The Government appointed Carol Sergeant to chair a steering group tasked with developing an initial suite of products. The group published an interim report for consultation in August 2012. The group considered the suitability of a range of deposit savings products to be accorded simple product status, focusing on two: an easy access account and a 30 day notice account. Carol Sergeant will continue to lead discussions with her steering group over the coming months and publish a final report in February 2013.
	3. Financial access is important to give households the capability for better financial planning. To improve responsibility for personal savings the Government introduced the Money Advice Service, which among other services provides a free financial ‘healthcheck’.

Indonesia

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government has provided assistance to the Indonesian government in its drafting of a new law on social organisations in Indonesia; what information his Department holds on whether the EU has provided any such assistance; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the new law on the development of civil society and on business transparency in Indonesia.

Hugo Swire: No assistance has been provided to the Indonesian Government in its drafting of a new law on social organisations in Indonesia, nor, to the best of our knowledge, has the EU. We are actively following the progress of the Draft Bill on Civil Society Organisations (revision of Law 8/1985), that covers the development of civil society and on business transparency in Indonesia. We will continue to analyse this law as it moves through the drafting process.

Mali

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the report dated 9 October 2012 by the UN Assistant General Secretary for Human Rights on Mali; and what recent discussions he has had with human rights and development organisations working in or monitoring the situation in Mali about ongoing abuses in the northern part of the country.

Mark Simmonds: The British Government agrees with the assessment of the current human rights situation in Mali made by the UN Assistant General Secretary for Human Rights on Mali, and shares his concerns that abuses perpetrated by rebel Islamist groups are becoming more systemic.
	I have had a number of meetings to discuss Mali with human rights and developmental organisations, including Hervé Ladsous, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, and Barbara Stocking, Chief Executive Officer of Oxfam GB, to help return Mali to peaceful democracy via four main strands of work: security, which was a pre-cursor to the other strands; a long-term political solution; humanitarian support; and longer-term economic development. We will continue to work closely with our international partners, including human rights and development organisations, to achieve this goal.

Mali

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian and security consequences of an escalation of the conflict in Mali; what consideration he is giving to alternatives to military intervention for securing a durable peace in Mali; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: The British Government is concerned about the security situation in Mali and has called for a political solution to the crisis which respects and preserves the territorial integrity of Mali. Without urgent action against the growing threat from rebel Islamist groups, there is a real threat of further attacks in Africa and, possibly, beyond. The UN, in consultation with the Government of Mali, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States, is leading on the development of a contingency plan for Mali in light of recent developments. The UN estimates that in the worst-case, the humanitarian situation could lead to the internal displacement of 180,000 people and over 450,000 refugees to surrounding countries.
	The British Government supported making humanitarian contingency planning a high priority for the UN. We are also committed to working through the EU and its institutions to ensure that EU support in the region is co-ordinated, coherent and effective.
	We look forward to the UN Secretary General's report on the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 2071, which is due within 45 days of 12 October. We will then consider, in collaboration with other international partners, what further action is necessary.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when she plans to answer the letter sent to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills by the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on 3 September 2012 with regard to Mr A Rowaichi and forwarded to her on 10 September 2012.

Hugh Robertson: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and Minister for Women and Equalities, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), responded to the letter of September 2012 from the right hon. Member on 22 October 2012. The response was sent in hard copy to his parliamentary office.